New Britain, CT – April 29, 1871

On April 29, 1871, Professor J. W. Hayden, an aeronaut with the Stone & Murray Circus, was giving a balloon exhibition in New Britain. (Hayden was often advertised as having made 10,000 balloon ascensions. )

On this particular day, the balloon with Hayden inside rose to an altitude of 1,000 feet and suddenly burst. The escaping gas caused a rapid fall and when the basket hit the ground Hayden suffered a broken leg.